


This spark between us (is you zapping me because you're mad, fuck)

by IronShieldGal



Series: To Play With Fire [2]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Dragons, Fantasy, First Kiss, Getting Together, It got gayer, M/M, Magic, Original work - Freeform, don't ask me how that works, magic cannibalism, mentions of cannibalism, mentions of electricity magic, well only one dragon really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 17:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13276053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IronShieldGal/pseuds/IronShieldGal
Summary: Elias turns his head to look at him and shoots him a look of how-dumb-are-you-really-Jasper-for-fucks-sake that Jasper is on the receiving end of more than occasionally.“Jasper, we’re not asking the dragon for directions,” he says, slowly, as if Jasper has trouble hearing.





	This spark between us (is you zapping me because you're mad, fuck)

**Author's Note:**

> So as you may notice this is part of a series. You don't have to read the first work to know what's going on here, but chronologically this does take place after that one. If you didn't read the first one, here's what's going on.  
> I am writing my own original work (which is not posted online) and sometimes I just want to mess around with the characters. This series will be me messing around with my main characters in the setting after the end of my original work.  
> If you have any questions about the world or how magic works here don't be shy to ask, and i'll try not to bombard you with the ton of backstory there is :D
> 
> NOTE: there is talk of "Tunnels" in this short. A Tunnel is basically a stationary portal to another world. It connects to places on two different worlds together. Only magic people/ beings can sense it, but non-magic people can pass through it (although it is an unpleasant feeling for them)

It is raining somewhere, but most definitely not here. They’re all but stranded in a desert without provisions on a world where magic is spiking abnormally –a place where they suspect a humanoid race that feeds on magical energy lives. And now a humanoid race that feeds on magical energy is not so bad, but when they live on a magically radioactive planet and on worlds bordering on this on magical people have been disappearing without leaving any trace whatsoever –be it physical or magical.

 So, all in all, a planet that will probably kill or mutate them if they stay on it too long, inhabited only by a weird cult of vampires that kidnap people and suck them dry of magic. Obviously, Jasper is _thrilled_ to get lost in this fucking desert with the fucking sun melting his skin off of his back.

 Walking a few feet ahead of him, Elias is tall and muscled in a _beautiful_ subtle way, sweat shining on his bare back and back muscles flowing gracefully with every movement, and this phenomenal view might be the only reason Jasper is not complaining.

 His boots are stuck to his skin with sweat but if he took them off his feet would probably melt from the hot rock stretching out for miles.

 “Hey, so, Elias,” Jasper starts after he starts contemplating the fact that there is absolutely nothing on the horizon, and weren’t there mountains somewhere near where they were supposed to be? Elias just grunts, not even slowing down and Jaspers eyes trail down to muscled legs with pants clinging to them like the blond had swum with them.

 “You’re like, not lost at all, right?” Jasper says, and his vision is drawn to the movement of Eliass arm coming up to shield his eyes from the sun as he peers in the distance. “I’m not lost, I’m right here,” Elias says in an absentminded tone. “C’mon Jas, pick up the pace,” and then he starts _jogging_ and this is utter _madness_ , who voluntarily jogs in temperatures like this?

 Jasper sighs and stretches his legs to catch up. He starts jogging next to Elias and contemplates the of sunburn on his shoulders.

 They should’ve kept their shirts, but they had been hot and convinced they’d be in civilization in no time.

 “We’re fucking lost in a world where the only inhabitants are soul vampires who will suck your magic dry when they find you and then I’ll be lost on my own,” Jasper complains, all in one breath so that when he’s done he has to suck in a huge breath, slowing him down.

 “Well, I’ll be dead in that scenario so I think I pulled the short straw there,” Elias says, and he seems to be moving a bit more to the left. Does he actually know where they’re going? Hope flares up in Jasper’s chest, because if anyone would find the way again, it’s Elias.

 Well, after Ryath. And Shane. Maybe Ellie, too. But they’re all back at camp on another world at the end of a Tunnel from this world to that one, a Tunnel that Jasper wouldn’t be able to find back if his life depended on it.

 Which it kind of does.

“Well I’m the one who has to live without you, so,” Jasper retorts. Elias sighs dramatically, but there is a smile on his lips and his hand finds Jaspers. They entangle their fingers and keep running at a slow space, to nowhere.

 

They don’t see it until it moves, and they’re only about a hundred feet away from it. It’s the exact same shade as the rock underneath it and they had just assumed it was part of the hilly landscape.

 But it shifts, a dark brown head lifts up and blinks open. An eye with a diameter about the same length as Jasper’s arm (look at him, using words like ‘diameter’. If Elias could hear his thoughts right about now he’d _totally_ want to make out. Wrong order of business, Jasper. First address the dragon looking right at you)

 Jasper and Elias have stopped but are still holding hands. The dragon just looks at them for a second or two, and then Jasper gets the _best_ idea.

 “Hey, Elias, lets ask the dragon for directions!” he says. Elias turns his head to look at him and shoots him a look of how-dumb-are-you-really-Jasper-for-fucks-sake that Jasper is on the receiving end of more than occasionally.

 “Jasper, we’re not asking the dragon for directions,” he says, slowly, as if Jasper has trouble hearing. “No, but hear me out,” Jasper says, keeping an eye on the dragon. If it attacks, he needs to get Elias out of the danger zone.

 That’s of course not because Jasper has feelings for the guy; no, that’s ridiculous. If Elias gets a few seconds of time he can zap the dragon, leaving it stunned and hopefully Jasper can use his rifle to shoot some hidden weak spot or something. Not that he has his rifle on him... He left it back at camp, all he has is a shiny knife that won't do jack shit to this dragon. There goes that plan.

 “That dragon could be the only other intelligent living thing on this planet apart from the weird magic-eating cult people. I’m not asking the cult people for directions, and the dragon has been looking at us for a while and I’m not toast yet,” Jasper said, and then he does something that he _knows_ Elias would’ve chopped his arm off for if he knew in advance. He waves at the fucking dragon, because it’s looking at them anyway and Jasper better communicate that they mean no harm. Waving is nice and friendly, right? If you’re going to fight someone you wouldn’t wave at them first.

 The dragon rumbles, Elias whisper-yells “Jasper what the fuck” and Jasper lets his arm fall to his side, and then decides that Elias is mad at him anyway so why not make it worse. Hell it might piss the guy off into making out with him. You know, all that aggressive sexual tension that releases itself in shouting that results in making out? Doesn’t that happen like, to everyone?

 “Hi!” Jasper yells at the dragon, which he probably didn’t have to because Dragons can hear pretty well. “We’re not here to hurt you or suck your magic or whatever –which you probably noticed because this beautiful guy here is magic too,” He gestures vaguely into Elias’s direction with the hand that is not holding said beautiful guy’s hand.

 “Listen, we’re just very fucking lost and were wondering if you could point us in the right direction?”

 The dragon rises and Jasper sees that it’s different than the only dragon he’s ever seen in real life. Unlike Aederon, this guy didn’t have four legs, but two, and its front legs were its wings. There were claws at the tips of them that dug into solid rock and upturned it. There is probably a name for this specific dragon-type and Jasper bets Elias knows what it is. 

 It was dark brown on top, but on its belly it colored a lighter beige –almost the color of sand.

The dragon stalks towards them and then lowers its head to their level, so it can look at them.

 “You wish for directions?” it asks, and that is definitely a female voice. Jasper thinks, at least. He doesn’t want to assume the dragon’s gender based on its voice, which is telepathical and thus inside his head.

 “Yes. I am Elias and this is Jasper. We are here investigating several accounts of magical people who have gone missing, but we have gotten lost in the process. I’m not really used to the landscape. We’re looking for the village where the people of this world live –we think they feed on magic and thus have been abducting magic people,” Elias quickly explains, probably trying to salvage the situation.

 Jasper can’t feel too bad about his impulsiveness, though, since it worked and the dragon is going to help them.

 “I am Itos, She Who Flies High, and I have noticed your arrival through the Tunnel about two hours ago. Am I correct?” she asks, and yes, definitely a she now.

 “Yes, we came through the Tunnel and we have to leave through it as soon as we know the location of the city,” Elias explains. Itos, She Who Flies High, (does Jasper need to mentally add the titles every time or can he just think of her as Itos?) raises her head to look to her left and her chest vibrates, making a sound not unlike a cat’s purring.

 “If you emerge from the tunnel you should head east for the city you wish to find,” she finally says, after a silence that Jasper had started to find uncomfortable. Then again, if he was immortal and probably several thousands years old, he’d probably be in no hurry either.

 “It is a flight of ten minutes, but you are undoubtedly a lot slower than I am so I wouldn’t know for how long you would have to walk,” she says. “the city is built in the middle of four hills, if you head east correctly you would end up on the highest hill so you could oversee your future battlefield,” she is quiet again and Jasper is about to thank her because he thinks she won’t say anything else when she talks again.

 “It is important to strategize your attack so you can crush your enemies.” Her head comes down to look at them again. “I will take you back to the Tunnel, if you wish,” she offers, and _shit_ the last time (and the only time) he had ridden on a dragon he lost two fingers and had suffered a concussion while Ellie was bleeding out next to him, so he hadn’t been to aware of the sensation.

 “That would be awesome,” he says before Elias can answer with some diplomatically correct answer.

 Itos (She Who Flies High) buries the claw on her left wing in the ground in front of them. “You can step on my wing to walk to my back,” she says, “there you will find a spike to hold on to. Do not worry about hurting my wing –no arrow can pierce it and it could carry mountains without breaking.”  
 Elias tugs his hand from Jaspers and starts walking, carefully placing his feet on the wing. His shoulders are squared and he seems tense. Dread coils in Jaspers stomach: did he piss Elias off for real? Did he go too far?

 Shit. Shitfuckshitfuckshittyfuckingshit.

Jasper carefully makes his way to Itos’s back and sits behind Elias. The boy doesn’t turn around to smile at Jasper, he keeps staring stoically ahead.

 Jasper grasps a spike that’s as long as his leg and as thick as his waist and prepares for the worst.

The flight doesn’t take long and the sense of dread and maybe a tinge of regret in his stomach kind of put a damper on the excitement of flying.

 It’s all right, Jasper tells himself, this is how it goes in all the stories, right? Two people like each other but don’t do much about it because, well, honestly because for a brave, reckless person Jasper is scared shitless of explicitly explaining to Elias how he feels. Then the two people fight about something stupid one or both of them did and then suddenly the anger transforms into sexual tension and they’re making out.

 This is how it’s supposed to go, he’s telling himself, and the foresight of Elias kissing him mid-argument makes his mind float.

 Itos lands next to the Tunnel; Jasper can’t see it or feel it, he just knows it’s there. As someone without magic, it’s pretty frustrating that they need magic for most of the things they do.

 Without magic, they couldn’t travel like they do, worldhopping and sightseeing till the ends of space and time. They wouldn’t win most of their fights without magic.

 Hell, without Ryath’s magic, they’d probably all be dead, since that’s what stopped that fucking monster from _actually_ ending all of time and space.

 No time and space, no Jasper. A statement following logic easy enough that even Jasper recognizes that.

 He knows it’s there, though, the Tunnel. Elias had held his hand when they slipped behind a tree somewhere and then came out from somewhere behind a rock on a totally different world.

 Somehow he doubts if Elias will hold his hand this time.

“There you go, hatchlings,” Itos rumbles as they carefully climb down the dragon’s wing. Elias is about as careful not looking at Jasper as he is to not step on any spikes, which would impale his foot.

 “Thanks, Scales!” Jasper waves over his shoulder as he trips over his own feet to follow Elias through the Tunnel.

 

For a second he thinks everything just went horribly wrong. A hand grabs his neck and twirls him around, pushing him back and his bare back hits what he supposes is a brick wall. The fingers on his neck aren’t squeezing: he can breathe just fine, it’s just holding him in place.

 When the black spots on his vision clear away –another fun thing about traveling in a magic manner when one does not have an ounce of magic- Elias’s blue eyes are burning with anger.

 “What the _fuck_ were you _thinking,_ Jasper” He spits out, and an actual drop of spit lands on Jasper’s chest. He doesn’t pay attention to it –he’s too distracted by the fact that Elias’s voice cracked twice in his sentence.

 “I don’t kno-“

“I know you don’t know what you were thinking, because _you_ , _don’t, think,_ _Jasper,_ ” and wow, yeah that hurts. Just because he’s definitely not the smartest in the group –well, probably the least smart person in the group, even- doesn’t mean he’s actually stupid. All the time. He’s gotta admit he’s stupid sometimes, but he’s not dumb.

 Just because Elias’s a genius and Ryath’s the best at plotting airtight plans and Shane knows everything there is to know about magic and history and Ellie can fight amazingly with a weapon she’s first seen about an hour earlier, and Zoey is brave and smart about it and just because Jasper is not any of those things doesn’t mean that _Jasper is any less than them._

 He opens his mouth to say so, but what comes out of his mouth is “I’m sorry.” Which, frankly, he is, because shouting at a dragon without consulting it with Elias first was not good, but in the name of god and this Jesus guy Shane mentioned once what Jasper did _wasn’t deserving of this._

 Elias’s hand drops from Jasper’s throat and he steps back. He’s shaking his head and his eyes are avoiding Jasper’s.

 “Elias,” he says and what does he say? Does he get angry too? Does he apologize more? What does Elias want from him?

 “You can’t just do impulsive shit like that, Jasper,” Elias’s hand is balling into a fist and Jasper remembers how it was on his throat just a few seconds ago. “You can’t put all of us in danger like that.”

 And, okay, no. Fuck Elias. Fuck what Elias wants. It’s time that people listen to him for a change. He deserves to be listened to! He’s just as much a part of this group as any of them, he deserves to be listened to and he deserves to have his words considered! He’s not a fucking child, and he refuses to be treated like one any longer.

 “No,” he pushes off the wall and walks into Elias’s space. Elias lifts his head and looks down on Jasper –he’s not much taller but as close as they are it seems like more than it is.

 “Fuck you, Elias. You don’t to talk to me like that,” Elias opens his mouth but Jasper cuts him off. “What I did back there, I did to help us. Maybe not save our lives –maybe you would’ve figured something out, but try to place yourself in my shoes. We’re lost, I wouldn’t be able to magically find the Tunnel back and the only people we know of in this deserted world would eat your life force –because let’s face it, when all magic is sucked out of a magic person, they fucking die, Elias. If you died, I would die, too. And I don’t mean that in I can’t live without you, it’s that I wouldn’t have been able to get off of that world without you. Which would leave me dead,” Elias’s eyebrows furrow and Jasper is definitely in his personal space now, but neither backs off.

 “Just because I don’t think like you do, doesn’t mean I had bad intentions. I tried to make the situation better. That dragon had already seen us –if we didn’t do anything, what do you think she would’ve done? Yes, I took a risk, but the risk wasn’t bigger than the risk of doing nothing.” Jasper’s breath leaves him in a sigh and suddenly he feels empty. There is a burning behind his eyes but he refuses to cry about this. At least not right now. If he starts crying, he’s going to have to talk about his feelings too, and that’s going to have to wait at least a little longer.

 Elias looks down at him and if Jasper would lean forward a bit their noses would touch.

“I know you tried to do what’s best, and I acknowledge the fact that your insight is very valuable when we create battle plans, but usually when you come up with an idea on the spot it’s impulsive and dangerous. You just don’t think about what logically is the best solution,” Elias tries to explain and his voice is soft, but there is an edge to it that tells Jasper they could be back to screaming if he says the wrong thing now.

 “Maybe you should think with your heart more often, rather than your mind,” Jasper retorts, but it’s not sharp and witty like he almost wanted it to be. Instead it’s soft and unsure, and Jasper’s eyes trail off to the ground.

 It’s brown, dry earth with some grass beneath their feet. There are some ants marching between Jasper’s and Elias’s feet. There is not much space, but ants are tiny. They make it work.

 Then the feet that do not belong to Jasper move away. When Jasper looks up he’s staring at Elias’s still sweaty back. His shoulders are burnt red from the sun.

 He’s looking up, into the trees, and when Jasper follows his line of sight there are some birds in a nest.

 “I’ve never learnt how to deal with my feelings,” Elias says. His voice is monotone, but there is a slight tremor underneath it that makes Jasper think he’s crying.

 He doesn’t notice the tears on his own cheeks until he makes to wipe them away.

“I grew up in a dungeon, where I got experimented on. I don’t remember much before that –I remembered the sun, swimming in a lake and the laugh of a woman I think was my mother. I grew up in a dungeon which was also a library. It wasn’t a library with stories in it. Instead it had physics, history, maps and other facts about how the world worked. It was all I had, and I clung to it. Emotion made me weak –crying didn’t help me, bursts of anger didn’t get me out of there, so I tuned them out and focused on something that might help me one day: knowledge. I thought that if I gathered enough of it I would be able to get out of there. In the end, it didn’t do shit for me. I had to be rescued by a princess on fire whose heartbreak shone in her eyes. Then she asked me to join her to make the world a safer place, and she called on my knowledge often. She asked me things when she was making plans and showered me with praise whenever something smart I said helped out. It was the first human contact I remember having, and it felt good to be needed. I worked on my knowledge and yet chose to remain ignorant on why Ryath would pick you as her second.” And then he turns around again and there are indeed tears on his cheeks as the steps back closer to Jasper. “It’s because of your heart, Jasper. It’s because you feel so strongly, and your emotions and your gut feeling isn’t suppressed by logic, cunning or planning, which is the exact opposite of how she tackles situations. She picked you as her second because with opposite approaches to a problem, you’ve got the highest success rate.”

 That’s a lot of praise and Jasper feels his face reddening. What does he say to that?

“Well, you’re smart and… and stuff,” he tries, but fuck it, he’s never been one to think and ponder and talk, that’s indeed Elias’s job, and what a beautiful job he did.

 No, Jasper just _does_ something. What was that saying? An action is worth a thousand words?

So his hands find Elias’s face and while the blond is opening his mouth to probably ask what’s going on, Jasper kisses him.

 It’s messy and wet and awkward, but it’s finally happening and why did he not do this earlier?  
 When Elias puts his hands on Jasper’s shoulder and softly pushes him back, he remembers. Yes. That’s why. Because rejection sucks, especially if you’re stuck with that person for a good long while because you’re saving worlds together.

 Jasper looks at Elias and Elias looks back and they both keep quiet. Elias’s hands are still on Jasper’s bare shoulders and it kind of hurts because of the sunburn, and kind of because of the rejection.

 “I’m pretty sure Ellie won the betting pool,” Elias then says, and Jasper blinks. _What_? He thinks. “What?” he says.

 “Doesn’t matter. Listen, Jasper, I do really want to, uh, do this?” he sounds like he’s asking a question and he’s waving a hand in the space between them. “But I kind of think that now is not the time?”

 And Jasper understands, because Jasper might not be smart, he knows feelings and that feeling on Elias’s face he knows best of all because it’s on his own face, so Jasper laughs.

 “Elias, the only thing that makes now ‘not the time’ is the fact that you’re thinking.” He places a hand on the other’s chest, above his heart and feels the double-beat of first his heart, and then his soul, underneath his spread fingers. “Stop thinking, and just _feel_ ,” he advices, and then he goes back.

 This time it’s significantly better, Elias’s hands finding Jaspers hair and intertwining his fingers with the chocolate brown locks.

 Jasper softly bites Elias’s lower lip and Elias makes a sound in his throat, which in turn makes Jasper twirl them around and push the taller boy gently against the brick wall behind them. His hair gets tugged on and his tongue gets nibbled on, his hands are on a sweaty, naked chest and he’s kissing _Elias_ and this is officially the best day of his life –even better than that time he saw a dragon spit roast a guy on one of his claws.

 Suddenly he’s cold and shivering, letting go of Elias but staying close and as he realizes he’s wet he also remembers that this is a brick wall, and brick walls aren’t usually in the middle of nowhere.

 Also he remembers where the other end of the tunnel is.

“Guys I’m so happy you’re getting your gay on, but can we focus on the job? You can suck faces in between the important parts.” Ellie is grinning down at them from the first story window with an empty bucket in her hands.  
 “Did you just make Zoey fill a bucket with ice and then asked Ryath to melt it?” Elias asks, also looking up, but his hand finds Jaspers and clutches it, connecting them again. It spreads a blush on Jasper’s face but he decides to pretend it isn’t there –so maybe others won’t see it.

 “Did you think I was going to waste warm water on you guys separating? I wanted things to cool down, not to heat up,” Ellie winks at them and then disappears from sight, into the room. “Hurry up inside!” her voice is still audible, even when her face is gone.

So they look each other in the eyes, both dripping wet, and hand in hand they go inside.

Time to face the music, as they say. Or is that what they say? Jasper’s heard Shane say it once but he never really knew what it meant, seeing as music didn’t really have a physical form that one could face. Honestly, as he’s holding Elias’s hand, he couldn’t care less for what it means.

 


End file.
